Freeze Dried Food Review Thread

[Ruffdaddy]

I know this isnt guns...but it falls into the BoB/survival category and it has come up on a few threads here.

So basically i intend to start a review thread for freeze dried ultra long shelf life foods. Ill break it down accordong to manufacturer, then flavor.

MOUNTAIN HOUSE: This is still my favorite brand and the staples never let me down...but there isnt too much in the way of non-mainstream dishes. Sodium is also higher in these than some of the others.

-lasagna with meat sauce: this is close to my favorite because it has strong flavor and its hard to even tell its a freeze dried meal. It does give me heartburn if i eat it before a run as you would expect.

-beef stew: this is probably my number 1 because it can be eaten as a plain stew or it can be eaten over rice and its pretty good either way.

-spaghetti with meat sauce: pretty similar to the lasagna but there is no cheesiness that you get with the lasagna. Not a bad meal...but not my top either.

-Macaroni and cheese: not good. The cheese sauce is ok but the overall feel and taste is too "cardboardey".

-any egg dish: im not a fan of these...the flavor is ok in some but the texture is way off.

-chicken teriyaki: good flavor but extremely americanized. Not even close to a fresh prepared teriyaki meal, but it will give some variety to you collection.

I dont remember the other flavors well enough to respond accurately.

ALPINE AIRE: These meals seemed to target the healthiness side more, and there was A LOT of options eapecially across multiple cultures. Sodium was much lower and the protein was still high enough. There also seemed to be more veggies in the mixes.

-three cheese chicken pasta: good alfredo style pasta, with a fair amount of spinach and zuccini. The low sodium shows through as i added a dash of garlic salt.

-peppered beef with rice: i wasnt a fan of this, it was low in flavor and really bland. The beef was almost the size and texture of artificial bacon bits.

[Ruffdaddy]

BACKPACKERS PANTRY: These meals have a higher sodium content similar to mountainhouse, but much more cultural variety. Also some of their meals have condiment/garnish packages to jazz it up.

-pad thai: this is good, but doesnt taste like pad thai. I cant explain what it tastes like and do it justice. It comes with an actual packet of peanut butter and a package of dry roasted peanuts. Id eat it again, but its in the middle of the list.

-beef pho: nothing like pho. I wouldnt buy this again for sure because its got the same bacon bit style beef pieces and a weird bitter off flavor. It comes with a lime crystal packet and sriracha seasonings.

-red beans and rice: this is a good meal and what got me started on the brand. Not much to say other than good enough and ill use it again.

[Jose]

Subscribing.

[Ruffdaddy]

I forgot to add one:

MOUNTAIN HOUSE:

-Buscuits and Gravy: this one is almost really good. Its actually close to whataburgers buscuits and gravy with sausage. But you have to let it soak longer than the directions say or a lot of the biscuits will be pretty dry and crunchy. There is sausage in it even though its not in the title.

[IHaveAMustang]

This is a good thread. Thanks man. I have wanted to get some emergency food to store in the camper.

Are there any temp ranges they can't be stored in? Camper probably hits 120 in the summer and 20 or so in the winter.

[Jose]

This is a good thread. Thanks man. I have wanted to get some emergency food to store in the camper.

Are there any temp ranges they can't be stored in? Camper probably hits 120 in the summer and 20 or so in the winter.

From what I remember, you don't want to store it in those temperatures. I couldn't find anything on Mountain House's website but a quick Google search came up with this.

http://www.thereadystore.com/food-and-water-storage/1824/temperature-store-freezedried-food/

[Gasser64]

I actually appreciate this thread. Can't wait to read more. I knew you were good for something!

[Chili]

I've only had two of the Mountain House and my opinion differs a bit. I had the Beef Stew, which was ok / palatable, but I wouldn't really call it good. I also had the scrambled eggs with bacon, and thought those were pretty damn good.

[Ruffdaddy]

This is a good thread. Thanks man. I have wanted to get some emergency food to store in the camper.

Are there any temp ranges they can't be stored in? Camper probably hits 120 in the summer and 20 or so in the winter.

The recommended storage temp is about 75, so basically in a climate controlled environment. My understanding is that warmer temps impact shelf life and may diminish the flavor.


In saying that, i had some beef stew that had been in my glovebox over a year and it was still good. However, thats not near the 12 year shelf life of a pouch.

I've only had two of the Mountain House and my opinion differs a bit. I had the Beef Stew, which was ok / palatable, but I wouldn't really call it good. I also had the scrambled eggs with bacon, and thought those were pretty damn good.

I definitely expect everyone to have different tastes and favorites, but i should throw out there that im somewhat picky about texture. Thats why the eggs arent well rated for me.

[BP]

Are there any temp ranges they can't be stored in? Camper probably hits 120 in the summer and 20 or so in the winter.

Standard Army issue MREs are only rated for 1 month at the extreme end of your scale, 60 refrigerated.

[Chili]

I definitely expect everyone to have different tastes and favorites, but i should throw out there that im somewhat picky about texture. Thats why the eggs arent well rated for me.

Of course! I was just throwing that out there.

[ceyko]

My expectation is that when these are stored in higher temps (lets face it, MREs are often left in hot/cold environments for months or longer) the quality may decrease - but it's still okay to eat and not the worst thing ever. Plus, the overall appearance may lose a little.

I currently have mine in a good climate spot, but that is not realistic when/if they are needed for anything other than recreational purposes.

I need to look at the various ones I got again. Mostly acquire them through Costco and sales that I find. I bought SOME MREs, but at over 10 dollars a meal I'll be using them for recreational and not stocking them.

[GrayStangGT]

Back when I used to do some backpacking I was always a fan of the Backpackers Pantry Beef Stroganoff

[Jose]

So has anyone tried dehydrating their own food? My cousin has done this for us a few times when we've gone camping for longer than a few days and out in the boonies. He's done some chili mac, spaghetti, beef jerky, and some fruits. He has a dehydrator and a vacuum sealer, stuff has been good after a 4 or 5 months but haven't really tried it long term.

[Danny46]

For those of you with health concerns etc there is a company out there called "Paleo Meals to Go" and it's just what it sounds like. Paleo compliant, non-preservatives freeze dried backpacking meals. They come at a price though at $13 a pop. They had a blowout sale last week where they were selling them for 8.99 a piece and I dropped 100 on them.

They are actually really good, IMO comparable to a mountain house meal. With that being said you can't go wrong with mountain house. I've tried most of the mainstream brands and I've always been partial to MH; little tapatio and you're ready to go!